Beckham sustained a "tight groin" in Real Madrid's match against Villareal on Tuesday night to add to England's injury concerns following the withdrawals of Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand.

He trained away from the rest of the squad yesterday at Manchester United's former training ground, the Cliff, and was put through a solo gym session with physio Gary Lewin.

However, while some concerns remain, he is expected to take part in today's squad training session in Skopje.

Football Association head of media Adrian Bevington revealed, "David's session in the gym went well and it is expected that he will take part in training with the rest of the squad on Friday.

"We remain quietly confident that he will be available for Saturday's game."

The FA also played down the fact Beckham only arrived at the team hotel after 5pm on Wednesday after his flight from Spain was delayed and then diverted to Stansted.

Bevington added, "Sven was kept fully informed of David Beckham's movements. He is perfectly satisfied with the situation."

Eriksson nevertheless requires his players to train on the eve of a competitive fixture and Beckham will therefore have to test out his strained groin today before a final decision can be taken on his match fitness.

However, an early indication should still come when he gives a press conference in the Macedonian capital along with Eriksson this morning.

Given England's injury problems already this week, Beckham's presence is seen as essential to maintain the morale in the squad.

The pivotal nature of his role was spelled out by Owen Hargreaves, who is expected to make his first start since the World Cup in a reshaped midfield also featuring Nicky Butt and Frank Lampard.

"David Beckham has shown that he's the key figure in our team. Everything revolves around him at the moment," observed Hargreaves.

"He creates chances and wins games for us.

"Against Croatia, he set up the penalty and then scored it, and then set up the second goal as well.

"He's a player who creates problems for other teams and he's shown that continually over the past five years or so.

"He's going to be the leader of our team for a long time to come. He likes being involved in the England team so I'm sure he's going to be fit and it's important for us to have our captain on the pitch."

Before Beckham's move to Real Madrid, Bayern Munich midfielder Hargreaves was the only member of the England squad to ply his trade outside the Premiership.

However, it seems clear that the England captain will relish the opportunity to extend himself away from his increasingly fractious relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson.